Source: 2nd man may have helped Gentz in killing of business man's wife

By day, Bob Bashara was known as a respected businessman and former president of the Rotary Club in Grosse Pointe Park.

But in the evening, Bashara allegedly led a double life centering on the underground world of sadomasochism and sexual deviancy with women other than his wife, according to women who claim they were part of the scene or had been asked by him to join.

Meanwhile, word surfaced late Thursday that a second man may have played a role in the strangulation of Bashara's wife, Jane, whose body was found Jan. 25 in Detroit. One man, Joseph Gentz, has already implicated himself in the crime, telling police that Bob Bashara paid him to kill Jane Bashara.

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Bashara apparently had a sex dungeon in the basement of a building he owned on Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Park, behind the former Hard Luck Lounge that he frequented. In addition, a former female tenant of his told The Macomb Daily that he wanted her to become his slave but she refused.

"During the course of a conversation, he told me he was a dominatrix or a dominator or something," said the 45-year-old woman who did not want to be named.

"He must have seen the look on my face and realized his error because he started to backpedal. It was just an odd thing to say. He said I seemed to have a submissive personality, that's why he said it."

Bashara -- who police have labeled a person of interest in his wife's death -- made the comments as he repaired plumbing at the residence she rented from him in the area of Cadieux and Mack in 2010.

She said Bashara claimed to have female clients who paid for him to dominate them and also once told her she deserved to be spanked. But he also mentioned his wife, the woman claims.

"I thought he said he was either married or had a partner and she knew about (his S&M) relationships," she said. "I thought 'what a weirdo.' Do whatever you want just keep it away from me."

Several media outlets on Thursday reported women have come forward to police with information on the sex dungeon.

Rebecca Delodder, who lives behind the bar, told WJBK-TV (Channel 2) that she saw people entering the exterior entrance to the basement wearing bondage gear and carrying whips. She said she saw a bed and other items in the room.

"People dressed up," she told the station. "They would be dressed up in different black outfits. A couple of times I saw somebody coming out of there in the morning but most of the time it was kind of late at night."

The bar formally closed Wednesday and employees removed equipment Thursday. One worker said the bar was ready to close due to the economy and the publicity over the Bashara incident made matters worse.

Although the building is owned by Bashara, the bar was operated by a Ferndale couple who had a management agreement to operate it. They had decided more than a month ago to vacate the premises and began moving out Saturday, according to someone with knowledge of their financial arrangement.

There are two basement rooms behind the bar, including one which the bar used for storage space. The second room was established as the sex dungeon by Bashara, who often brought women into the bar first and then took them down to the basement.

"He'd come in there with these women who were dressed a little strange and they'd have a few drinks," said one observer. "Then they'd come back upstairs and they'd both be sweating. He used to make my skin crawl."

He also was known to have a 50-year-old girlfriend who works at an educational facility in Detroit. Media reports indicate he was going to buy a house for her not far from the home he shared with his family.

The latest allegations piled on already sensational details in the case of a quiet Grosse Pointe Park neighborhood where Bob was the former president of the Grosse Pointe Rotary Club. One Rotarian said he was shocked to hear of the accusations.

"I knew Bob from the Rotary and he seemed like a standup guy," said Dave Charvat, a longtime Grosse Pointe resident. "My wife and I have been to his house several times and socially everything was fine."

Authorities would not comment on the reports Thursday as the investigation into Jane Bashara's death entered its eighth day.

Jane Bashara, 56, was found Jan. 25 in her Mercedes Benz SUV near Moross and Hoover, six miles from her home. The former Mount Clemens resident and business executive had been strangled, an autopsy showed.

But acquaintances of Gentz on Thursday said he hung out with another man, known only as "T.J.," who also may have played a role in the Bashara case.

Gentz was known as a regular at My Dad's Bar on Kercheval. A few weeks ago, Gentz and "T.J." were bragging that they had obtained several thousand dollars for an unknown feat and had blown much of the money at the casino.

One person who knows both men suspect "T.J." may have been with Gentz on the night of Jane Bashara's death.

"He's been freaking out lately while Joe is locked up," the person said, adding: "I never thought T.J. would get into something like this. I didn't think he had a mean bone in his body."

In other developments, Bashara attorney David Griem told the Detroit News that his client had taken and passed a second polygraph exam. Authorities last week said Bashara had failed a similar test.

Grosse Pointe Park Police Chief David Hiller would not comment on the report.

"I have no information on that, so I cannot comment at this time," he said.

Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, said there was no request for an arrest warrant in the murder on Thursday.